Hanging in balance: Malaysia men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia has withdrawn from the Japan Open. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Skipping the Japan Open may not have been part of Lee Zii Jia’s original plan but it is a move that has earned the nod of approval from former international Ong Ewe Hock.
The Japan Open from July 15-20 and China Open from July 22-27 are important build-up tournaments for the World Championships from Aug 25-31 in Paris and missing the first Open, has raised the question on the professional shuttler’s form ahead of the world meet.
Zii Jia had been hoping to make his return from a right ankle injury in the tourney after last competing at the All-England in Birmingham in March but seems to have not recovered in time.
The Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) website listed Zii Jia as “withdrawn” from the Japan tourney while Team LZJ have not issued any statements yet regarding his decision to pull out and when he would likely to compete again.
It’s unsure whether his decision to skip is related to his recent posting of cryptic sketches on his Instagram, which went viral with many questioning his mental health but eventually was ruled out as just being his interest for art.
Ewe Hock believes that it is better for the 27-year-old to take the time to get fully fit first before returning to court or opt for surgery if he cannot heal through rehabilitation.
Ong Ewe Hock. —ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
“It’s very important for Zii Jia to fully recover first before coming back to tournaments,” said Ewe Hock.
“If he has not fully recovered, then he has no choice but to miss competitions. There’s no point for him to play if he has not completely healed. He could get injured again.
“We don’t know the exact nature of his injury, so I can’t say if he needs to go for surgery.
“He needs to see doctors to assess his issue and ascertain if he needs surgery. If he really needs it, then he has to opt for it.”
Zii Jia has slipped to No. 27 in the world rankings due to his absence from tournaments but has a protected ranking of No. 9.
He first injured his ankle in the World Tour Finals in Hangzhou last December.
Although he returned in the Orleans Masters and also played in the All-England in March, he later said that he had rushed his comeback after aggravating his injury.
Zii Jia went down to Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen trained by Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin in the quarter-finals in Orleans and lost to Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka Long currently under the charge of coaches Wong Choong Hann and Tan Bin Shen in the first round in Birmingham.
The Paris Olympics bronze medallist had planned to make his comeback in the US Open last month but had to delay his return as his team announced that he had not fully recovered.
